The Elle-Kings of Danish Tradition

According to Danish tradition, the Elle Kings (or Promontory-Kings, Klintekoneer) keep watch and ward over the country. Whenever war or any other misfortune threatens the land, there may be seen on the promontory complete armies drawn up to defend the country. One tradition says there is but one King who rules over the head land of Moen, Stevens, and Riigen. He has a magnificent chariot drawn by four black horses. In this he drives over the sea, from one promontory to another. At such times the sea grows black and is in great commotion, and the loud snorting and neighing of horses may be distinctly heard.

It was once believed that no mortal monarch dare come to Stevens; the Elle-King would not permit him to cross the stream that bounds it. But Christian IV. passed the stream without opposition, and since his time several Danish monarchs have been there. In the popular creed there is some strange connection between the Elves and the trees. In the churchyard of Store Heddings, in Zealand, are the remains of an oak wood. These, say the common people, are the Elle-King's soldiers; by day they are trees, by night valiant warriors. There is in another place an elder tree, growing in a farm yard, which frequently takes a walk in the twilight, and peeps in through the window at the children when they are alone. It was, perhaps, these elder trees which gave origin to the notion. In Danish, Hyld or Hyal, a word not far removed from Elle, is Elder, and the peasantry believed that in or under the elder tree dwelt a being, called Elder-Mother, with her ministrant spirits. A Danish peasant, if he wanted to take away part of an Elder tree, used to say three times, "A Hyldemoer, let me take some of the elder, and I will let thee take something of mine in return." If this form of words were omitted, he would be severely punished.

In Goethe's ballad, the Erl-King, the father is right when he tells the child that the siren voice which tempts him is but the wind rustling among the dried leaves, for from this simple phenomena arose the entire family of similar legends. Orpheus is the wind sighing through the forest. The Pied Piper of Hamlen, the Wild Huntsman, the Finnish Wain, and the Sanscrit Gunadhya are all founded on the same myths.